The Declaration for Development of North-South Relations and Peace and Prosperity brought fresh joy to all Koreans ardently aspiring after the country's reunification. It is a practical programme which proceeded from the absolute recognition and confirmation of the idea of By Our Nation Itself whose validity and vitality have been proved in practice in the June 15 era.

Regarding patriotism as his lifelong motto, leader Kim Jong Il provided two north-south summits for the first time in the history of the division of the Korean nation and made sure that agreements common to the nation were adopted, laying an eternal cornerstone for national reunification.

Events startling the world took place one after another thanks to the broad magnanimity and generosity of Kim Jong Il who led whoever was desirous of national reconciliation, unity and reunification to take the road of reunification and patriotism.

Dialogue and contacts at different levels were brisk between the north and the south and preparations for implementing the agreements raid progress in various fields.

Precious fruits common to the nation were yielded to wipe out mutual misunderstanding and mistrust and please all Koreans and all Koreans at home and abroad were full of great hope and confidence in the country's reunification.

The desire for reunification growing strong in the country that had remained frozen for more than half a century due to distrust and confrontation faced a serious challenge owing to the anti-reunification moves of the group of traitors backed by outside forces.

The south Korean puppet group of traitors which took power under the manipulation of the U.S. totally denied the north-south joint declarations with the heinous "May 24 step" while grumbling about the "lost decade" and made desperate efforts to implement the declarations.

They branded the agreements common to the nation as the "pro-communist documents profiting the enemy" and opened to public even the records of the north-south summit, totally shutting down the KIZ overnight which was the last hope of the north-south relations.

They are bringing the dark clouds of a nuclear war to the Korean nation while malignantly slandering the DPRK's sincere proposal for holding a joint conference to pave a wide avenue to peace and independent reunification of the country through the concerted efforts of the Koreans as "a camouflaged peace offensive" and asserting " north's dismantlement of its nukes is a top priority task."

The situation goes to clearly prove that as long as the puppet conservative group persist in their inveterate dependence on outside forces and moves to escalate the confrontation with compatriots in the north, while seeking to realize the daydream of "unification under liberal democracy" and "unification by absorption," neither reconciliation nor unity can be achieved between the north and the south.

The national reunification means most ardent patriotism and cherished desire of the Korean nation who has boasted time-honored history and brilliant culture spanning 5,000 years.

The Korean nation is no longer a weak nation in the past which suffered national ruin and division after being deprived of sovereignty by outside forces.

The Korean nation has grown to be a resourceful and powerful nation capable of independently carving out its destiny and future including the issue of Korea's reunification.

No matter how desperately the separatist forces at home and abroad may maneuver, the cause of the country's reunification is sure to be successfully accomplished as it has advanced along the orbit of national independence.

The June 15 joint declaration, reunification programme common to the nation, and the October 4 declaration, the programme for implementing it, will always remain viable.